Welcome to Day 1 of AWESOME-tober-fest. A month long celebration of all things scary, weird and AWESOME. This month’s theme is werewolves. So today, to kick off AWESOME-tober-fest 2010, I’m going to look at a bunch of crazy-ass and randomly weird werewolf movies and their posters.

Let’s kick this party off with…

Legend of the Werewolf (1975) – This is a pretty spectacular poster. The white werewolf looks great. Almost like a Polar Werewolf (they live in the Arctic Circle, you know). The red eyes and teeth are striking. I like the font on the title too. What’s up with the hanging corpse on the left? What does a hanging have to do with the werewolf? I don’t remember hanging being one of the traditional ways to kill a werewolf. Does the werewolf actually hang someone? And what’s with the little Jack the Ripper silhouette below the hanging? Is this a werewolf vs Jack the Ripper movie? If so, that’s pretty awesome. Check out Grand Moff Tarkin in the lower right corner.

Werewolf Woman (1976) – This is the plot synopsis from IMDB:

A woman has dreams that she is a werewolf so she goes out and finds men. She proceeds to have sex with them and then rip their throats out with her teeth. She eventually falls in love but then she is raped and her lover is murdered so she goes out for revenge.

I’m not sure what I can really add to that, except that might be the single greatest movie synopsis I’ve ever seen. Simple, to the point, AWESOME.

Werewolves on Wheels (1971) – This movie looks so ridiculous. A biker gang encounters black robed, Satan worshiping monks who secretly turn one of the female gang members into a werewolf after the bikers trash their monastery. And the hilarity ensues. The other tagline for this movie was “If you’re hairy, you belong on a motorbike!” And I’m seriously not joking.

Santo and Blue Demon vs Dracula and The Wolfman (1973) – Yes, I talked about this movie back in July, but it was too awesome not to mention again. Two legendary Mexican luchadores battle the classic monsters in a zany ’70s action-horror fest. I mean, how can this movie NOT be good? Am I right? However, Netflix still refuses to offer this movie for rent. Probably because it’s just too awesome to send out to people. No one would send it back.

Wolf (1980s) – This is a poster for an 80s werewolf movie from Taiwan. I found it over at the great website, Wrong Side of the Art. There are many things that make this poster bad ass. The roughly 15 headshots that encircle the poster are interesting. How many main characters are in this movie? There are the zombies in the middle left plus a few naked women on the right. There’s a pretty chick on the left who looks like she may be a cop, but what police force uses bright pink shirts and daisy dukes as standard issue? Weird and cool at the same time. Now take a look at the werewolf in the middle. Look in his left hand. I’m guessing you may have just lost consciousness once you laid your innocent little eyes on that image, I know I did. So let’s take a closer look.

A werewolf with a shotgun. BAD. ASS. Why does a werewolf need a shotgun? Who cares. He has one. And it’s awesome.

Werewolf in a Girls’ Dormitory (1961) – The title pretty much says it all. You got a werewolf and he’s in a girls’ dormitory. That’s your story. Werewolf, women in undies, murder. Rinse and repeat. The alternate title for this was The Ghoul in School, which I honestly like better. And I’ll follow this movie up with…

Werewolf in a Women’s Prison (2006) – While this DVD cover makes it look like porn, it’s not. Just a sub-B horror movie with ridiculously bad production values. Werewolves in a women’s prison. Because why not, you know? Like any “women in prison” movie you get women prisoners who are several times more attractive than anything you’d see in a typical women’s prison.

So, that’s day 1, my friends. Just a little something to whet your appetite. Next week we really get started when I take a look at werewolf characters in comic books. Each day I’ll profile a new werewolf comic character like Marvel’s Werewolf by Night and Image’s The Astounding Wolf-Man.

I agree with bosnuk, it’s some wacky sexploitation. I picked up a copy for a buck from one of the Hollywood Video stores that was closing near me. Took me a year to watch it and then I questioned spending that dollar…

To be honest, I wouldn’t mind seeing “Legend of the Werewolf” based on that poster alone. I remember a lot of vintage poster, most of them foreign, having sort of the same mish-mash arrangement of elements.

“Werewolf Woman” and “Wolf” look amazing as well, sort of like a supernatural “I Spit on Your Grave” and a something that resembles either “Machete” or “Hobo with a Shotgun” only, you know, with werewolves. What a great way to kick off Oct. 1st, Pax!

Thanks man. Yeah, they look AMAZING. I’ve been looking for Legend of the Werewolf for months but can’t find it on Netflix or Blockbuster. I don’t want to buy it I just want to see it. And the Taiwanese poster, Wolf, OMFG I need to see it now.

Werewolf with a shotgun?!? Right on! I wonder, has anyone considered making a gritty werewolf western? I remember White Wolf role playing games had a variation of their lupine system that was set in the old west and it was fun. I guess there will always be the Wolves of the Calla segment of Ron Howard’d adaptation of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series (if it ever actually happens.)